The present invention relates to the shipping and mounting of a set of metal or otherwise rigid hydraulic tubes used on equipment for routing fluid to and from hydraulic functions and, more specifically, relates to clamps used for bundling said tubes so as to keep the tubes separate one from the other during shipment and when mounted on the equipment for which the set was made.
An example of equipment using a set of hydraulic tubes for routing fluid to and from hydraulic functions is a tractor-mounted front-end loader. Typically, such a loader includes a vertically swingable boom comprising a pair of arms respectively to which are coupled a pair of lift cylinders. A bucket or other implement is mounted to the front end of the boom for being pivoted by a pair of tilt cylinders. A known tube arrangement includes first pair of supply/return tube assemblies for the lift cylinders and a second pair of supply/return tube assemblies for the lift cylinders.
Beginning at the rear end of one of the boom arms, both pairs of the tube assemblies first extend forwardly along the inside one of the boom arms to a cross member joining the boom arms and then extend along the cross member to a point adjacent the other boom arm where the second pair of tube assemblies terminates and the first pair of tube assemblies extends rearwardly along the inside of the other boom arm for a short distance. Provided for keeping the tubes of the first and second tube assemblies separated one from the other and for mounting the tube assemblies to the boom arms are three identical clamp assemblies, each including identical halves formed from a substantially square plate having a hole through the center thereof and having a parallel pair of semi-cylindrical recesses formed therein. Specifically, first and second ones of the three clamp assemblies are disposed in transverse alignment with each other, with the halves each being respectively engaged with opposite sides of respective tube portions adjacent first ends of the first and second pairs of tube assemblies and being received on a threaded stud welded to the inside of and adjacent the rear end of the one boom arm. A nut is received on the stud and holds the clamp halves tightly in place on the tube assemblies. The halves of the third clamp assembly are respectively engaged with tube portions adjacent a second end of the first tube assembly and are received on a second threaded stud welded to the inside of the other boom arm at a location spaced a short distance rearwardly of the cross member.
Those who make tube assemblies for loader manufacturers cut tube sections to a desired length, bend the sections where required and put fittings where required for connecting tube sections each other and/or to hydraulic hoses leading to the lift and tilt cylinders. These sets of tube assemblies are bundled into kits for shipment to the manufacturer of the loaders for which the sets of tubing were made. So that the tubing of such assemblies is not damaged during shipment, it has been the practice of one such tubing supplier to separate the tubes one from another by using clamps, like those of described in the immediately preceding paragraph. In fact, for shipping the tube assemblies described in the immediately preceding paragraph, this tubing supplier provides five clamp assemblies with some clamp halves being held together on the tube assemblies with a screw and nut assembly and other clamp halves being held together on the tube assemblies with a plastic tie strap. Thus, the maker of the tube assemblies has to maintain an inventory of ten clamp halves and fastening hardware and plastic tie straps for each set of tube assemblies. Further, the loader manufacturer ends up with two more clamp assemblies than is necessary for the mounting the tubing assemblies to the loader being built.
This means that not only does labor have to be expended removing the tie strap and extra clamp assemblies from the bundled tube assemblies, but requires disposal of the extra clamp assemblies and tie strap. Thus, the extra clamp assemblies and tie strap add cost both direct and indirect costs in labor and material to the manufacture of the loader.